By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Stefanie Heinrich wants to help faculty create high-quality online and graduate courses so that Valpo can meet the future. Stefanie, our new Director for Graduate and Online Education, notes that future trends show that these two areas have great potential for growth. That is because early and […]
Tag: instructional design
The Humane Syllabus
By Cynthia Rutz, Director, Valparaiso Institute for Teaching and Learning (CITAL) As we know all too well, both faculty and students have been worn down by the pandemic. In particular, the mental health of our students has suffered. Even before COVID, the teen suicide rate had increased so much in the last decade that it […]
What Faculty Learning Communities Can Do for You
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Some of your faculty colleagues have been meeting regularly this year to explore a teaching topic that interests them and then making positive changes in their classrooms. That is what our Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) do. In the following article, Abbie Thompson (Psychology) talks about what she […]
The Power of Leadership in Learning
By Ed Finn, Executive Director, CITAL I was fortunate to attend the 26th Annual International Leadership Association (ILA) Global Conference in Chicago, November 7-10. The impact of leadership in higher education cannot be overstated. In this article, I will mention just a few takeaways and implications that struck me as particularly timely. The title of […]
Check-Ins to Foster Community and Building Your Students’ AI Toolbox
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL I recently attended the Lilly Conference on Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning in Traverse City, Michigan. In this blog I will share with you two sessions that could be helpful for your own teaching. The first gives some ideas for simple check-ins with your students that can both […]
Two Responses to AI and An Innovative Approach to Teaching Ethics
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL In this blog I will share with you three more sessions from the recent Lilly Conference that could be helpful for your own teaching. The first two sessions have very different approaches to AI. The first provides some practical classroom tips, while the second suggests that faculty […]
What is Your Favorite Feature of Canvas?
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Many of you are trying the Canvas LMS for the first time this semester. So we asked you what features of Canvas you have found work best for teaching and learning in your classes. Twelve of you responded. Here are some of the features that your colleagues […]
VU Faculty Test-drive Simple Syllabus
By Cynthia Rutz, Director, Valparaiso Institute for Teaching and Learning (CITAL) This summer several VU faculty piloted Simple Syllabus, a new tool that ensures students can, with a single click, get to the most important parts of your syllabus. In this article two faculty–Theresa Carroll (CONHP) and David Rolling (Kinesiology)– talk about their successes and […]
Helping All Your Students with Universal Design for Learning
By Cynthia Rutz, Director, Valparaiso Institute for Teaching and Learning (CITAL) Many of our students are struggling right now. Some are hampered by two years of lockdown and missed learning. Others have learning disabilities, whether diagnosed or not. How can you help these students succeed in your classes? Christina Hearne, Director of the Access & […]
Using Student Groups Effectively
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Putting students in groups during class improves engagement, retention of knowledge, and deep learning according to several studies (see list of further resources at the end of this article). Students learn better when they can build knowledge together or when a fellow student explains a concept in […]